This post is based on an interview with RADM Paul Becker, CEO of The Becker T3 Group.  It is part of our series of interviews of OODA Network members. Our objective with these interviews is to provide actionable information of interest to the community, including insights that can help with your own career progression. We also really like highlighting some of the great people that make our continued research and reporting possible.  For the full series see: OODA Expert Network Bio Series.

Career Progression:     About the time Paul was beginning to look at college options, his Dad (a NYPD Cop) sat him down and gave him the financial facts of life.  Basically – “Which Service Academy are you applying to?”  Paul chose Navy.

Paul always enjoyed History and Current Events and gritted his teeth through Differential Equations and Physics.  He knew his strong suit wasn’t Math or Engineering, so he majored in Political Science.  During his Midshipman’s cruise, Paul got to experience life on a Destroyer.  He was miserably seasick.

Upon graduation, Paul joined the Intelligence Community where he could directly support the Aviation Squadrons that he admired – squadrons that always deploy on LARGE more stable aircraft carriers.   He assumed he would only be in the Navy for his pay-back (five years).

Paul loved everything he did in the Navy.  It was exciting and meaningful.  He really enjoyed the people he worked with.  And he was becoming a very proficient Intelligence Officer.  When his five-year mark came up, he stayed on Active Duty.

Paul attained the “magic twenty” (the point where an Officer can officially retire) in 2003, when he was directly supporting Operation Enduring Freedom as the Director for Intelligence (N2) at Carrier Strike Group Seven, onboard the USS JOHN C STENNIS (CVN 74).  No way was he leaving the Navy then!  He went on to increasingly important positions of responsibility, eventually attaining the rank of Rear Admiral with culminating assignments as Director for Intelligence (J2) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii and the Int’l Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan.  Admiral Becker has also fought some serious personal battles.  He was diagnosed with Stage IV Bone Marrow cancer in 2014.  The “Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity” that served him throughout his military career were then refocused towards his internal battle – beating cancer. Endless trips to the Walter Reed Medical Center, multiple surgeries and cancer treatments have paid off.  He is currently in complete remission.

Surprises:    Admiral Becker has been watching the COVID response with some elements of surprise.  “Local Governments and School Districts, presumably rational bodies of deliberation, have over-reacted and over-compensated in terms of lockdown.  This has greatly impacted the progress of students and individuals.”  He considers politicians to be naturally more risk averse, guiding them to take the path of inaction (or preventing action) vs. empowering citizens and independent choice.

The Admiral also observed problem-solving methods used this year.  “A Pandemic is a biological problem, and you would think that technical responses would be applied rapidly and rationally.  It surprised me that they weren’t, and the Nation clamored for more ‘leadership solutions’, vice more ‘technology solutions’” Admiral Becker thinks these are very different approaches.  “In the Technology Sector in particular, managers often execute tasks, and control people and processes.  Whereas effective leaders create a vision of what success looks like, motivate through a shared common purpose, communicate, guide through ambiguity, and display empathy while tirelessly pursuing a goal.  This is why throughout this pandemic we’ve seen more requests for leadership solutions than technological solutions (short of a vaccine).”

Technologies you are watching:  Admiral Becker is extremely interested in “People Centricity,” the way technologies interact with and impact users. “As we become more and more connected, there is an up-side to the total user experience, however we are exposed and our privacy is potentially compromised in new ways.”  He thinks Location Independence (“Anywhere Operations”), a Distributed Cloud and a Cybersecurity Mesh for our military Secret Network will further enable a future decentralized workforce.

Technology threats you are interested in:  Admiral Becker is watching the Chinese advances in undersea warfare.  “The US has always been dominant here. Now the Chinese are looking at technologies to close the gap – from the seabed to space-based sensors.”  The Admiral considers China as an existential threat to the American way of life.   “Through their sheer numbers and technological advances across all elements of comprehensive National power (Diplomatic, Informational, Military and Economic), they have the capacity to change the way the average American life looks.”

Advice for Decision Makers: “All leaders need to provide their workforce with sharp, memorable, actionable guidance so every employee knows WHY they are there. I’m not talking about an elegant Mission or Vision Statement framed near every doorway – but something that tells the team WHAT they are doing is important, and HOW they do it impacts performance, productivity and profit.”  Admiral Becker suggests it starts with personal morale. “Inspire yourself first! Then you will have the “T3” (“Teamwork, Tone and Tenacity”) to move your organization to greatness.”

Views on Thought Leaders:  The Admiral recommends following and learning from thought leaders in areas where you don’t already have strengths.  He uses LinkedIn to create an entire dashboard of thought leaders for regular perusal.

Quick Hits:

• Book Recommendation: The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories by William Bennett
• Favorite piece of content on OODAloop: The biographical writings of OODA network leaders – “There is no history, only biography” – Ralph Waldo Emerson    
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul83becker

We were also able to capture Admiral Becker’s insights on the global threat environment and more on his leadership and management styles in a special OODAcast. Find that at: OODAcast: Rear Admiral Paul Becker, USN (ret) on leadership in the modern age